Justin Bieber Birthday Cake

I don't like to brag, but some days, I impress myself. I've been wanting to try hand painting on a cake, so when this Bieber Birthday came my way, I decided to go for it. I'm so glad I did!

I started with a vanilla cake with a strawberry and vanilla cream filling. I covered the cake with butter cream icing, then white fondant. I added stripes and a bead border in black, silver, and 2 shades of purple. Since the birthday party involved going to the JB movie, I incorporated the popcorn, film strip, and tickets to tie it all together. I wrapped fondant around a stack of cupcakes to make the popcorn container, then topped them with tinted marshmallows to resemble popcorn kernels.

And then, the piece de resistance: Bieber. The party host gave me a paper plate to match colors, so I used the picture from the plate to model my mini painting after. I cut out a 4"x5" piece of fondant and attached it to a cardboard backing. Then I drew the basic shape of J.B. on the fondant with an edible marker. Then, I used frosting gel paste color and mixed it with water to create my own edible water color paints. YES, I painted the portrait by hand with a little paint brush and a black edible marker. It turned out way better than I anticipated. I mean, my father in law can attest to the trouble I had in our watercolor class painting flowers and landscapes. Who knew I should have started with portraits? I love the effect that was created: when the water mixes with the fondant, it results in a sugar glaze, so the finished product looked more like a porcelain tile than a piece of edible art. I love when I discover a new technique (at least new for me!) Portrait cakes...bring it on!